Litter Costs Us All

Do you remember “Give a Hoot – Don’t Pollute”? Woodsey the Owl sang about how we could help to keep America looking good.

And do you remember Iron Eyes Cody – the crying Indian? His single tear spoke volumes about people destroying the natural beauty of America.

As a child of the 70’s, these two PSA icons made a lasting impression on me. Combined with the examples set by my parents, I simply cannot litter. And now, as a business owner (specifically a janitorial service business owner) I have come to realize the financial impact of littering.

Padre Janitorial Service, Inc. customers pay us to perform many tasks, one of which is to police the properties of their businesses. Policing involves picking up litter outside of their building and power washing their parking lots, walkways and stairwells to remove stuck on litter like gum, food/drink, etc.

And here is where the financial cost comes into play. Any business that pays a janitorial service, or even their own employees, to pick up litter will pass that cost on to their customers in the price of their goods or services.

Don’t misunderstand. I am not implying that money is more important than the environment. There is not much that is more important than taking care of the world we call home. Without it, we do not exist. But the monies we spend cleaning up after an action that is completely preventable (littering) could be used for cleanups after non-preventable actions by Mother Nature (floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.).